Photographic-printing machine



April 7, 1931. R HOPKlNs 1,799,817

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed Aug.- 14, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l NON-KEFLECTING COATING NON-REFLECTING COATING NON-R EFLECT'ING COATING A TTORNEYS.

April 7, 1931. R. s. HOPKINS PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MA CH INE Filed Aug. 14, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR,

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROY S. HOPKINS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO EASTMAN KODAK COM- IANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK PHOTOGRAIPHIC-PBINTING MACHINE Application filed August 14, 1926. Serial No. 129,230.

This invention relates to photography, and more particularly to photographic printing machines. One object of my invention is to provide a printing machine in which only very light pressure is required for operating the platen. Another object is to provide a printing machine in which the negative and printing paper do not need to be pressed firmly together to insure a sharp,

0 clearly defined print. Another object is to provide a printer in which the printing is done from a beam of direct light rays, the indirect or reflected rays being masked so as not to reach the printing panel. Another object is to provide suitable negative holding and masking devices and to separate these so that they may be readily and independently actuated without interfering with each other, and other objects will appear from the following specification, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

The business of printing from films taken by amateurs has grown to large proportions,

and printing machines for such use must be able to produce a large number of sharp, well defined prints from different negatives rapidly. In most printing machines now on the market a negative holder and mask are placed together on a glass printing panel, and considerable force is necessary to secure good contact between the print, negative and masks, so that sharp definition will result. Various felt pads, cushions, etc., have been devised to overcome fuzzy areas on prints, due to lack of contact over these portions. It has also been difficult to adjust a negative holder relative to a mask because these generally lie in contact, and film may be easily scratched by movement of fiat masking plates.

My present machine is designed to overcome the above difficulties by printing from a light beam composed of undiffused light rays, preferably coming from a masked concentrated filament electric lamp. By cutting off the reflected or diffused light rays I have provided a printer with spaced masking and negative holding members and one requiring very little power to operate since physical contact between the paper, negative and masks are not depended on for good definition.

Coming now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout: a

Fig. 1 is a section of a printer, parts being omitted, constructed in accordance with and illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 1A is a wiring diagram for the printer shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view looking directly down upon a printing panel and showing the lamp and lamp mask;

Fig. 3 isa fragmentary section through parts of the printer illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the relation of a sheet of printing paper to a negative Fig. 4 is a plan view of the printer top, showing a preferred form of masking device;

Fig. 5 is a section through the printer top showing the printing panel in sect-ion and some of the masking members in elevation;

gig. 6 is a plan view of a negative holder; an

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

The printer consists of a box like structure designated broadly as 1 carried by a table top 2 which may be supported by legs 3 (only one being shown). The top 4 of the printer may be angularly arranged, as shown, and is equipped with an aperture 5 in which the glass plate 6 is mounted to form a printing panel.

Over the top of the printing panel there is a platen 7 which I prefer to construct of amber colored, light transmitting material. This comparatively rigid,.and is supported by a pair of side arms 8 which have downwardly extending arms 9 pivoted by shaft 10 carried by the brackets 11 mounted on the inside of the printer top 4. If desired, the usual opaque platen may be employed.

While this platen may be moved in any desired manner I have here shown it as being operated by a crank- 12 carried by a power driven shaft 13 through the following mech- 3. 1 1;

A link 14 connects crank 12 to the bell crank lever 15, one arm of which 16 is pivoted at 17 to link 14, and the other arm 13 ispivoted at 19 to a link 20 which is attached to a shaft 21 extending to the side arms 8. The crank 12 is intermittently, driven one-half a revolution at a time by a suitable mechanism not included in this application.

The source of printing lamp L carried by a socket 22 mounted on the wall 23 of the small box like casing 24. I prefer to make the walls of. this casing non-reflecting as by painting with a dull black paint. In the bottom 25 an open ing 26 is provided by forming up a portion 27 of the wall thus making an air inlet. The air warmed by the lamp L may pass out through the openings 28 in the side walls=29 of the casing or through the openings 30 in the table top 2. The walls 29, like the walls of boX 24, are preferably made non-reflecting. The lamp L is preferably of a type employing a concentrated filament 31, such lamps being often used for projection purposes: In order to mask 0d all reflected rays, and in order to permit the direct rays-to form a light beam 32,to pass to the printing panel I prefer toxuse a lamp mask plate 33 which may be attached at 34 to the opening 35 in the table top so as to lie close to the printing lamp.

This'mask is equipped with an opening 36 which is of substantially the same proportion as the printing panel. As shown in Fig. 2, the filament 31 of the lamp L is directly beneath the center of the printing panel so that the unreflected light rays will be evenly distributed over the panel. 7

Referring'to Fig. 4 I prefer to' mask prints with a mask, designated broadly as M, in the following manner: I

There is a metal edge 37 on the inside-of the printer top 4.for. supporting. the glass plate 6. This, as shown in Figs. 4, 5,,and 7, may consist of a flat plate 37,. or, as'shown in Fig. 1, may consist of. aplate 37a Z-shaped in; cross section. In either case the inner edges. 38 form top and side masking edges for the printing panel. Theother twosides have two movable masking members. Both of these members 39 and 40 are mounted on parallel links sov as to be movable to alter the size of the mask. V 7

Mask member 39 is pivoted at.41 and 42 to the links 43 and 44 which are carried by studs 45 and 46 positioned in the printer top 4.

Arm 44 is extended at 47 to form an operating handlel Similarly masking member 40 ispivoted at 48' and 49 to the links50 and 51 supported by studs 52 and 53 also carried by the printer top. The extension 54 of lever 50 forms an operating handle. By moving this handle andhandle 47 the size of the mask opening may be altered at will. These masking members are of the type contained in illumination includes a.

Patent No. Re. 14,114, Wallace, April 18, 1916. The masking members, however, difier from those shown in the patent in that they are mounted on the opposite side of thef printing panel from which the printing is done. Thus they arev spaced from; the negative and printing paperlying on the printing panel a distance somewhat greater than the thickness ofthe printing panel. itself.

In order to guideandhold negatives in position for printing, I preferably provide on the top of theprinting panel the film holding device shown in Figs. 5 and 6. There is a grooved rail: 55 which may be attached by the screws 56 to the top holders 57 along the top edge of the panel. As shown in Fig. 7, the grooved rail 55 is preferably made of two pieces of metal 58 and 59', the latter being formed upwardly at 60'to'receive the edge-6 l ofthe negative N. Since the thicknessof the 'mounted to move in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6- so-that therail's' may be spaced to-receivedifi'erent widths ofnega tives. Each rail is provided with a tapered guideway which facilitates entering the film into the grooved way.

This film guideway" is particularly suitable. for usein printing from strip negatives or'negatives which have not been cut apart. Cut film may, of course, be also used in it. As the negative holderis positioned on the opposite side of the printing panel from the masking mechanism, there is no danger of the negatives, being scratched or otherwise marred by coming in contact with the mask. It should. also be noted that the edges 61 of the film are spaced from the printing panel so that the film is not scratched as-it is drawn toand from the printing position.

The light beam 32- is composed of'undiffused or direct light rays. As illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3, these rays will produce a sharp clearly defined image even when the negatives N and the printing paper P are not in close contact throughout their entire area, and even when the-mask, designated broadly as M, is spaced some distance from the printing paper; This printing light has also the additional advantage that its use requires very little force to be used for operating the platen 7, because the platen is not used for pressing the paper and the negative tightly against/the printing panel, but is merely used to hold them in approximately this position, as'is shown in 3.

The platen 7, ashereinabove stated is preferably made of; amber colored transparent material so that the operator may lbok EC: rays from passing to the printing panel,

through the paper and negative being printed for vignetting if required. This may be done by opening the door 61 in Fig. 1 and by moving a card or other suitable device 62 beneath the part to be shaded. The amber color of the platen is suflicient to prevent the glare from the lamp L from blinding the operator.

As indicated in Fig. 1A, I use the lamp L for positioning the negative as well as for printing. When the negative is being positioned the resistance 70 is connected so that energy for the lamp is derived from the wires 71 and 72. When, however, the lamp is to be used for printing, the switch 73 is moved so that the lamp receives power through wires 72 and 74, thus cutting out the resistance. I prefer to move the switch 73 automatically in timed relation with the platen 8. This may be accomplished in any well known manner, as by operating plunger 78 of switch 7 3 by means of one end 18 of the bell crank lever 15.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

A negative, either long strip film or cut apart, is drawn through the guideway which had been previously positioned at the proper separation for the width of the film. The negative N is then drawn along supported in the grooves of rails 55 and 62, until the negative lies over the printing panel 6 with one margin in alignment with straight edge 38. With the mask so positioned the lovers 47 and 54 are adjusted to mask the printing area to the desired shape. These may be freely moved without danger of scratching the film, which is on the opposite side of the printing panel from the mask M. A piece of photographically light sensitive printing paper is placed on the negative, and the platen is then lowered moving toward the printing panel until the paper P is in approximate contact with the negative N. After the exposure is completed the platen is raised and the paper removed.

Obviously many modifications may be made in the preferred embodiment of my printer made as above described and as illus trated in the drawings. I claim all such modifications as may come within the terms of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a printing panel, of a platen adapted to move toward and away from the panel a negative holding device and a masking device mounted on opposite sides of the printing panel, and an undiffused light source spaced from the panel includin a printing lamp, a mask adapted to pass direct light rays from the lamp to the panel and adapted to obstruct reflected light whereby a sharp masked print may be obtained.

2. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a printing panel, of a platen mounted to move to and from the panel, and an adjustable masking device located near the printing panel on the side opposite that on which platen is mounted, a printing lamp mounted on the same side of the platen as the masking device, a chamber housing the lamp, and a lamp mask between the lamp and platen adapted to pass undiffused light rays from the lamp, past the masking device, to the printing panel, whereby a sharp masked print may be obtained.

3. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a printing panel, of a platen mounted to move to and from the panel to one side thereof, and adjustable plates forming a margin gauge mounted to the other side of the printing panel, a lamp mounted on the side of the panel opposite to the platen, said lamp being of the concentrated filament type, and a mask associated with the lamp having an opening of the same proportions as the printing panel, being adapted to pass direct light rays from the concentrated filament to the panel and being adapted to obstruct the passage of other light rays whereby the unmasked area of theprinting panel may be illuminated by undifiused light rays from a concentrated light source.

4. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a printing panel, of a negative holding device adapted to be sup ported thereon, a platen hingedly mounted to move to andfrom a position in which the platen may contact with the negative holding device and so be spaced from the print ing platen, a light source including a lamp, and a lamp mask adapted to pass direct rays from the lamp to the platen and to prevent other rays from reaching the platen whereby a sharp print may be obtained by positioning a negative in the holder, and holding a sheet of sensitized paper against the negative by means of the platen and subjecting it to the direct light rays passed by the lamp mask.

5. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a printing panel having a flat surface, of a platen having a flat surface movable toward and from the panel, but not adapted to move the fiat surface into coincidence, a light source for illuminating the platen including a concentrated filament lamp, a mask located close to the lamp and having an opening of a size sufiicient to pass a beam of light upon the printing panel from the concentrated lamp filament and to obstruct indirect light rays from passing thereto, whereby a negative and a sheet of printing paper may be held between the flat surfaces of the platen and printing panel in position for the paper to receive sharp latent images from? the=negative when subjected to I the negative upon a; light sensitized paper pressed toward the negative and printing pan-ell by the platen:

7. In a photographic'printing machine the combination with a printing panel of a platen'adapted to'moveto andfrom'the printing panel,.a negative' holder onone side of the printing panel, a' masking device on the other siderthereof, and a light source including a lamp spaced from the printing panel and a lampvmask located near the lamp permitting direct light rays to pass from the lamp through the lamp mask, and past the masking devices through the printing panel and a' negative laid thereon, the light rays being adapted to form asharp masked image on asheet-of'paper held against the negative by the platen.

8. In a photographic printing; machine the combination With a printing panel, of

a a platen movably' mounted near't-he' printing panel and adapted to move to and from the panel, a negative holder adapted to support a negative onthe panelwith atleast portions thereof spaced from the panel, means for moving the platen to press a sheet of light sensitive paper toward? the negative,la

lamp, and amask for cutting ofli' all reflected light rays from the lamp, whereby a; sharp lmagemay be obta-inedfrom the direct light rays passing through the printing-paneland negative to the'paper.

9. Ina photoprinting, machine, the combination With aprinting panelofsubstantially rectangular shape, of a1 platen hinged to move'to and from the'printing panel, a light source comprising a concentrated filament lamp the filament of Whichis substantially rectangular in shape, alamp mask adjacent the lamp having an opening of substantially rectangular shape whereby undifiused direct light rays in the form of a. frustumof a pyramid may be passed fromvthe' incandes cent rectangular filament, through the mask to the platen.

10. In a photoprinting machine, the combination With a printing panel, of a platen moveable to and from the panel, a lamp spaced from the panel, a casing for the lamp including Walls covered with a non-reflecting medium, one wall of the casing having an opening therein constituting a lamp mask,

day of August, 1926. r

ROY S. HOPKINS. 

